1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a photodetector and a photodetecting device.
2. Related Art
Recently, infrared detectors have come to be more widely employed, because of the capability of contactlessly measuring a temperature of an object. This has naturally generated a growing demand for an inexpensive, yet high-performance infrared detector. An example of existing infrared detectors can be found in JP-A No. 1996-201,177 (H08-201,177).
FIG. 6A is a perspective view, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view showing an infrared detector 600 disclosed in JP-A 1996-201,177.
The infrared detector 600 shown in FIG. 6 includes a scanning circuit 602 provided on a semiconductor substrate 601, and an infrared reflecting layer 603 formed in an oxide layer 604 provided on the scanning circuit 602. The infrared detector 600 includes a beam 606 opposing the infrared reflecting layer 603 across a space, and the beam 606 includes an infrared absorbing layer 608, so that a signal changes a separation between the beam 606 and the infrared reflecting layer 603, to thereby change an absorbing wavelength range of an incident infrared light 607. To be more detailed, the separation is changed by applying different voltages 609 between a first conductive layer located on the side of the infrared reflecting layer 603 and a second conductive layer located on the side of the beam 606, depending on the wavelength of the infrared light to be absorbed. In addition, in such driving process, the voltage applied between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer is changed such that a surface of the beam and a surface of the structure temporarily contact each other.